


One Step Closer

by RayneSummer



Category: Uncharted
Genre: F/M, just a lot of feels about Elena looking after Nate, post-u3, surprisingly lack of Victor Sullivan, this was meant to be a short sweet thing idk what happened, what are endings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-31
Updated: 2016-03-31
Packaged: 2018-05-30 08:31:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6416383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RayneSummer/pseuds/RayneSummer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Smelling of gunpowder and sporting broken bones. Nate and Elena, a temple ruin split-up gone wrong.<br/>'All Along I Believed I Would Find You...'</p>
            </blockquote>





	One Step Closer

**Author's Note:**

> Title from the song 'A Thousand Years' by Christina Peri, a song that I love and relate to these two.

Nate limped around another corner of the ruin, one hand pressed to his left side and the other fathering support from walls.

Pain blazed up his leg every step he took, making him grit his teeth against vocalising it. He was fairly sure something there was broken, and he knew his ribs were - not to mention his aching head and wavering vision. Yeah, he was a mess.

He also knew he had to stink of gunpowder from the barrels he crashed into more than once. Overall, Nate thought vaguely, Elena was really not going to be happy when (or if) they reunited. So much for splitting up to explore. Typically, he was the one who got the weak floors and violent traps in this godforsaken place.

Thinking of Elena, he stopped walking and slumped against the wall. Nate pulled the walkie-talkie from his belt and clicked it on; there hadn't been signal since they split up, but maybe it was back now.

No such luck. Nate groaned in pain and weariness and let him himself slip down into a sitting position against the wall, keeping weight off his injured leg and pressing his hand more on the hot skin that hid fractured ribs and no doubt a very nasty bruise.

Sighing, he considered just, like, taking a nap here to get away from the pain and the fact that he was, y'know, completely lost. It wasn't a great idea but frankly his head hurt and his body ached and the temple wasn't going anywhere, so. He'd had worse ideas. Like finding lost cities. Or jumping on moving trains. Elena had helped with that, of course, he mused vaguely as his eyes started to close. She really was great...

"Nate? Answer me, dammit!"

He jerked back to consciousness, jostling his ribs and setting his chest on fire again. "Shit," he hissed, taking shallow breaths in an effort to lessen the pain. It made him lightheaded, what with the head injury and all, but he couldn't bring himself to care.

Anyway, he had to focus for a minute. He could have sworn that was Elena's shout, but it hadn't come from the radio. Nate frowned as he heard what could be distant footsteps. Maybe.

"Elena?" He called as loudly as he dared. His ribs protested and he leant forward, breathing harshly, in an effort to dull the pain. But the movement pulled at his injured leg and he couldn't help shouting out in pain.

Everything went white for a minute, punctured by what sounded like his heartbeat thudding in his ears. After a second he realised it was actually footsteps and the next time he opened his eyes, Elena was crouched in front of him, wearing a very worried expression.

Nate huffed a relieved laugh and let his head fall back gently against the wall. He'd be alright now. They'd be okay. "'Lena," he slurred, dizzy with pain and weariness.

"Hey, you," she replied quietly, trying to smile past her concern. She scanned his bruised body and gently tapped his cheek to stop his from passing out. "What'd you get into this time, huh?"

The question was probably rhetorical, and anyways, it didn't seem that important any more. She was here. Nate blinked his eyes back open, unable to remember closing them, in response to her touch and smiled vaguely back.

He tracked her as she gently pulled his hand away from his side and lifted up his shirt a little, hissing in sympathy at the deep bruising. She didn't need to touch the skin to feel its hotness and know that his ribs were broken.

She shushed him as he whined in pain and leant back a little to triage the other injuries. Aside from the cuts and grazes littering his skin, there was a nasty gash on his forehead that was lazily trickling blood, topped off with a leg that looked broken, judging by how stiff Nate was trying to keep it. 

Reaching out, she brushed her fingers over the headwound, hoping it wasn't too deep.

"Concussion?" she asked quietly as he flinched, and he just nodded, tired. His head was killing him. "Okay. You gotta stay awake, alright? You're gonna be fine, just stay with me."

Internally, she was panicking with no idea how to get them out of here without hurting Nate's injures further. Outwardly, she took a deep breath, briefly stroking Nate's hair to calm him. Step by step, she told herself. Literally, in this case.

She moved to his right side to support him as he just watched her. "Come on," she said bracingly, giving him a small smile meant to encourage. "Up you get. We gotta get out of this place and listen to Sully bitch about how long we've been."

Nate snorted, gathering himself to stand up again. "We don' have to actually listen to him though," he murmured, twitching a smile for her. Then he took a deep breath and pushed himself up, gasping in pain and leaning heavily on Elena, who tried to quiet him through her own distress.

"It's okay, Nate, shh. I know it hurts but we'll get out and get you patched up and you'll feel better, I promise." She choked back more promises she knew may not keep and swallowed her fear from related memories. Instead, she secured his arm around her shoulders and began helping him limp down the corridor.

Nate's breaths were laboured and punctured by pained noises and the occasional muttered curse. Elena bit her lip against the hurt of forcing Nate to keep moving when he was so injured, each pained mutter hurting her too.

"Hey, 'Lena," Nate panted as they turned a corner together, hoping it would soon lead out.

She glanced across at him. "Yeah?"

"How'd you find me?"

Elena smiled a little at that, glad he was talking at least. "I heard the sound of crashing and destruction," she admitted a little teasingly, but it was the truth, "and I figured you were nearby."

Nate huffed a laugh, staggering a little as it burned his ribs. "I'm just so glad you're here," he breathed.

She swallowed and tried for a smile. "Me too." He hummed in agreement and sagged a little more against her. Elena took his weight, only wincing a little, and looked forward in worry, hoping there was light at the end of the passageway. She knew Nate was drifting, barely conscious, and quickened their pace, forcing herself to ignore his groan of pain.

"Come on, stay with me, okay," Elena whispered, desperation seeping into her voice. She felt Nate's grip on her shoulder tighten in an unspoken response, as confirmation or apology, she didn't know.

"I'll try," he promised, and as they turned another corner, sunlight glinted off the ring on his left hand.

**Author's Note:**

> I just really needed some Nate/Elena comfort stuff... they are my OTP, though I'm actually more involved in the brotp of Nate and Sully, which is my usual writing standard (This is a surprising lack of Victor Sullivan for me!)


End file.
